A few weeks ago, I blogged about knitting. In the spirit of closure, I wanted to post my finished product. Here is the laptop bag:















I have also completed a few other projects but have not had a chance to photograph them. I finished the weekend bag made of that delicious brown yarn. I also dashed off a hat & scarf for CityBaby (children's projects go real fast since they are so small). I'm trying to get a picture of him modeling them, hence the delay there. I am working on a lavender angora scarf for myself and a few scarves as gifts. I also have a cool project on its way, which I'll blog about later. As you can see, I've been hitting the sticks, hard.

Life's a Beach and Then it's Fall

Apparently, when you live in the South on the coast, you vacation at the beach in the Fall, a term I use loosely. The instruction manual clearly mandates that you avoid the beach all summer thereby avoiding the heat, humidity and annoying beach crowds. (I need to work on embracing tourism.) I use the term fall loosely because Fall in the lowcountry makes it debut the end of November, if we're lucky and makes it exit around mid-December. Then we have "Winter", another loose term, which picks up where Fall left off and leaves end of February. That's Charleston weather 101. So, here we are, last week of September, at the beach. Guess what? It's delightful. I don't have to contend with crowds or my Jew-fro (humidity has significantly decreased) or fight with CityCrab over the internal temperature. CityBaby has quickly become accustomed to beach in the morning and pool in the afternoon and I have found my inner relaxation button and turned it on. Plus, I am now a skinnygirl sangria expert. It's so light & refreshing, you can drink it all day.

Clean Slate

In the Jewish religion, we just welcomed our new year, 5771. This was after a week of holidays where we reflect, apologize, confront our sins and repent. No easy task. This has always been my favorite holiday, oddly enough. I have very good childhood memories of my family celebrating and being together, and these continue today as I create them for my son. I also like the fact that Judaism encourages you to atone for every sin in a group setting so that no one is singled out for any one thing. It's our own version of "Don't ask, don't tell." I like the idea of doing it in one fell swoop. I believe it was Jon Stewart who commented that even in religion, we pay wholesale. OK, it was funnier in person. I also like the idea of having a mid-year new year, where we can make resolutions that get us through to the secular new year. Low bar, if you catch my drift. In any event, I feel refreshed and renewed and ready to face 5771.

Konflicted

As an avid reader, I am conflicted about the new wave of e-readers that have recently hit the market. First and foremost, I am conflicted as to whether I should even get one. I love books. I love looking at the author's picture, reading their biography, which I often flip to at several points throughout any book. I like being able to flip back in the story and refresh, if I have to. And I like the way they look on my shelves. I grew up surrounded by books. Literally. Piled in floor to ceiling bookshelves. Plus, as a recent library convert, I'm not so sure I want to go back to buying books. Citycrab has pointed out endless times that online content is cheaper than written content but it's not purely economical with me. I did some research thinking that might help me get over my issues. The information was overwhelming. I even paid for a monthly Consumer Report online membership. (Side note: you can join for $5.99 for a month. Totally worth it, IMO.) Kindle, Nook, E-reader, iPad and various other models. I remain konflicted. And, overwhelmed, too.

Formerly

I'm a little late to the game on this one. This article was featured in NYTimes Style section about 3 weeks ago and I completely missed it. Then I saw some cryptic tweets and had to go back and piece together what this was all about. Basically, Stephanie Dolgoff, a female author, decided to create a moniker for her station in life. Late 30s, early 40s, married with children and formerly hot. Ok, well I don't necessarily buy it. It has some underlying tones of a PR ploy. Make up something that creates controversy and get lots of publicity for yourself, your website and your upcoming book. So, I do think part of this was crafted in a 27th floor PR agency conference room. But you got to give a girl credit. As for the formerly hot bit, well, that's where I think it falls short. So, just because you are "older" and married with kids doesn't necessarily mean you lose your edge. I know lots of hot, got in going on in many areas of their life mamas (and you know who you are.) It's like saying that a 45-year old unever married man is gay. I don't subscribe to it. I checked out the website. More of the same. As for the book, it falls into the I-wouldn't-buy-it-but-I-might-get-it-from-the-library category. (a la Jill Zarin's Jewish Mother book.) I've decided that there a lot of things that I am formerly but I'm really interested in rehashing that.

Keeping Abreast

The women in my family take their breasts very seriously. Breast health is certainly important and fortunately, we have never had anything serious. However, the bras you wear, is a whole different story. We are a progressive group of women but you would never find one of us burning a bra. And guess where Mama Ruth wears her red Kabbalah ribbon? Coincidence? I don't think so. I remember being on the edge of puberty and having my mother schlep me to Saks so I could stand in a beige-toned dressing room and have my tiny breasts measured. by an 108 year old women, who paraded in with several styles. Talk about humiliation. A couple of years ago Oprah did a ground breaking expose about how 85% of women wear the wrong size. This story included lots of measuring and sharing, of course. When my mother found out that the store featured in the story was in Atlanta, she promptly scheduled a trip the following weekend. Now, every time she goes to Atlanta, she schedules time to meet with her brasmith. Anyone who has gone in search of proper foundation knows it is not cheap. Well, fear no longer. I received an email this weekend with subject line simply shouting: BRAS! Granted my mother does not know email etiquette but the irony of all caps was not lost on me. I opened the email to find a store located right here in my current state of South Carolina that sells all the "best names at discount prices." The interior of the email simply read as this: Order a lot, try them on - you can return them." Thanks, Ma. Now I will never be met with the hair raising comment that I look nice but if I was wearing a better bra I would look better.

For more hilarity in the breast department, I highly recommend the documentary short A Good Uplift. It's the best 13 minutes of your life.

2nd Avenue Deli

When I get asked what I miss about New York, I often answer Broadway shows (I didn't go all that often) or Central Park or Bloomingdales (which is a completely legitimate answer) or the energy of the city. But what I should say is 2nd Avenue Deli. I ate there a handful of times as a child although my parents were bigger Carnegie Deli fans. Citycrab took me on our first date there. I ordered something I am embarassed to admit and he still makes fun of me: salami and eggs. What was I thinking? I was thinking I am not going to go whole hog on a corned beef.

We spent many mornings waiting in line, our mouths watering over the rugelach in the case and we prayed for someone to pay their check and leave. Then, there was the pickled tomato incident. I grew up on pickled tomatoes. They were a mainstay at Sunday afternoon lunch at my grandparents. Well, one day while we were perusing our menus I ordered a diet Dr. Brown's black cherry and some pickled tomatoes. CityCrab shot me a nasty look as if to say, if you inconvenience the waiter, he'll serve us cold soup. Well, needless to say, he came right back with my tomatoes. And, to this day, CityCrab consistently eats them when I bring them home in jars. The other classic I love from there is the health salad. A sweet, tangy and slightly oily (but in a good way) coleslaw, if you will. As I have taken on canning as a recent hobby, I had dreams of 2nd Ave. pickles. Well, thanks to amazon.com and a purveyor of used books, I am now in possession of the offical cookbook.

In addition to the wonderful stories and memories listed inside, they have the 2 greats: pickles and health salad. Of course, CityCrab remarked, they do not have their corned beef or pastrami recipe in there but who can blame them? So, I got cracking on the health salad. It lives up to it's name with lot of cabbage and just 2 tablespoons of oil. I am fermenting a batch now and will can it tomorrow. That way I can enjoy 2nd Ave. all winter long. I'll conquer pickles next.

Diamonds ARE a Girl's Best Friend

A friend of mine reps a jewelry line called Stella & Dot. I am not a huge jewelry person. By that, I mean my lifestyle doesn't necessarily require that I accessorize meself on a regular basis. I do a lot of yoga pants and hair in a pony tail. However, when I saw these gems, I was smitten. So, I decided to host a trunk show, invite some friends, whip up some skinnygirl sangria and shop away. In the final analysis, although I could have bought a lot more, I ended up some really nifty things. My friends did, too. And, the skinnygirl sangria was a hit!

Here's the recipe:

Skinnygirl Sangria
Serves 6 to 8

8 peaches, sliced into wedges
4 white plums, sliced into wedges
1 pound of green grapes split in half
3 bottles of Prosecco
1 can of diet lemon lime soda
1 can of club soda
Combine all ingredients into a large pitcher and add ice. Chill for an hour to set or serve immediately.

And, if you want to check out the jewels, go here.

Knitting

As someone who knits, I don't do it often. I enjoy it but have to be inspired and motivated. Plus, I hardly ever get to my local yarn store. Not that I need any yarn. I've got yards and yards of all types.
A few weeks ago I was cleaning off papers from my desk and came across a pattern for a Leigh Radford-designed laptop bag. I had the perfect yarn to pull it off. So, I got started casting on and have been feverishly knitting the last 2 weeks or so. This pattern is super easy. You are bascially knitting a big rectangle which you then fold it half, sew up the sides and felt. The rectangle should be about 52" long. I knit and measure. Knit and measure. 18". 24". 32" Ugh. Another 20 to go? And, just when I could see the end, I looked at the bottom of my project bag (a repurposed Banana Republic shopping bag - nothing but the best!) to find the end of yarn.
What to do when you are halfway done with no yarn left? OK, so this is a serious knitting no-no. Especially since I am using a varigated, dyed wool. I'll never be able to match that dye lot. So, I immediately went back to yarn store where I got the original batch of yarn. None left. Wasn't even on the sale rack. So, I scoured the internet with the brand and a random UPC. No luck.

Off to ebay. I've always applauded myself for my excellent research skills and lo and behold, I came across 5 skeins of exactly what I needed at a significantly reduced price. I couldn't type in those 16 credit card numbers fast enough. And now, I am just waiting on my friends at the US Postal Service so I can resume my project.

So, when I was at the yarn store I saw the most delicious yarn that I had to have. It's 100% pure dyed baby merino and it is a cavalcade of warm browns that transition into pinks. It is the yarn equivalent of a warm brownie with caramel sauce on top. I bought 6 skeins and immediately got home and started another bag. Another really easy pattern so I think that while the US Postal Service works their delivery magoic, I can finish this bag in the interim. Pics and patterns to come.

As you know, I fancy myself a bit of a matchmaker. With one confirmed marriage (entering it's 3rd year!) and other matches under my belt, I'd like to think I know what I am doing. So, the other day the Today Show was on in the background as I was getting ready to start my day and Willard Scott came on. Oh, Willard! With your clever quips, crazy ties and Augusta National sport coats. The truth is I always tune in when Willard comes on. Why? Matchmaking, of course. Even though at 92 Mama Ruth is dead set on not dating, I really think she should try it. And, hey if she can get an older guy, all the better! The problem is that there are very few men, given male/female death statistics. I haven't found the right guy for her. Most are geographically undesirable with little chance of relocating. And, at 100+, probably set in their ways and clinging to their bachelorhood. But you never know and a good matchmaker never gives up.

Concierge Service

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a hotel snob. It's an occupational hazard from my time spent in the hotel world. Traveling the 5 star world for $59 a night will do that. I love a clean bathroom, 500 count sheets and a fluffy robe with slippers to match. And, I love a good concierge. Oh, a good concierge can change your life.

So, now that I am back to being a civilian (and paying $179 for a crappy Marriott), I need a concierge outlet. Well, I have found it. I was actually turned on to it by a friend. And, all of you have it at your disposal, too. It's your local library. I have become a library convert. My reading habit was getting too expensive and once I got over the anxiety of reading a book in 2 weeks, I decided I could handle it. I get to read all the bestsellers along with the books on my "to read" list and I never have to step farther than the front desk at the library. I use the online ordering system. I can hold books, even ones that are housed at my local library, via the online system, hit submit and then wait for the email to come pick them up. Brilliant! All without having to actually spend time in the library, think about Dewey Decimal and hunt down books. Indulgent, I know. But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

My Summer Growmance

I had a romance this summer with my garden. It started out full of hope. I got butterflies every time I went out there to see it. Then it bloomed into a beautiful garden where everyday it brought something new and I was constantly surprised and amazed at its surprises. Then it got hot, real hot. And everything yellowed (literally) and the romance began to fizzle right before my eyes. Now, I just have remnants of what was and a broken heart.

I spent a lot in the garden this week. It needed some tending to and I had been neglectful, mostly out of sadness. I finally bought some wellies so I can stop tracking dirt through the house on my sneakers so, I booted up and dug in. I ripped out a bunch of weeds (I thought that "special compost" that cost a ton of money was an instant weed deterrent...) and I also ripped out a bunch of dead plants. The yellow squash plants died after just one crop. The green peppers, eggplant and zucchini never even made it. The cucumber vines have grown into the tomatoes and the watermelon vines are all over the place.

I commiserated with a fellow gardener yesterday. While I was boasting about my tomato abundance, she said hers never made it, she said the heat has literally fried her plants. However, she did offer a bit of hope. She said she "thought" that South Carolina has a second growing season since our warm weather season is so long. Then she sounded defeated as she told me she joined a CSA for the Fall. Oh, my broken heart.

From this:
To this:
Not sure why this idea never occurred to me before but gazpacho is the perfect summer food. It's also perfect if you have a garden, with less than perfect vegetables. So, today I turned some mealy tomatoes and off shaped cucumbers into a delicious summer treat.
I hauled out the Cuisinart only to find that it doesn't work. Every time I hit "pulse" it just clicked. Mini-Cuis to the rescue. It's hard to believe but I whipped up this up in about 10 or so batches. I've always been a Mini-Cuis fan and now I know why.

I blanched the tomatoes, even though I had some frozen I wanted to go fresh plus I had an abundance, pureed about 4 cups and then chopped about 2 cups. This recipe is easy. I used yellow peppers (green are too bitter for me) and more cucumber than called for since I had so many. I also added Tabasco to taste. And, rough chop is fine since I stuck it all in the blender anyway. This came out particularly good.

I froze a Ziploc bag full since there is no way we can eat that much gazpacho. I've developed this new method of freezing liquids: I fill a Ziploc bag, lay it on a flat plate (square is best), then flatten to remove all the air without squeezing out the liquid. Stick the plate in the freezer and when frozen I store it upright like a book. It takes up hardly any room and if I only need a small portion of the liquid, I can just break it off and defrost it. Brilliant!

Here's the recipe and evidence of how I turned my veggies into deliciousness:

Gazpacho
4 c pureed tomatoes
2 c chopped tomatoes
1 peeled, seeded and diced cucumber
1/2 chopped celery
1/2 c chopped red onion
1/2 c chopped bell pepper
2 chopped scallions
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 c chopped parsley
2 T wine vinegar
2 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
salt, pepper

Puree all or some of ingredients until desired consistency.
Chill for several hours prior to serving.

(Editor's Note: The second photo above of the finished product tastes way better that it looks. Everyone in my house is enjoying it...promise!)

Tomato, Tomahto

This past weekend I ran into a friend and her mother on my way out of Target (looking for my canning supplies which were not there). We got talking about canning and her mother gave me a great idea for tomatoes. Rather than can, just freeze them. With an abundance of tomatoes, some mealy and overripe, freezing is the perfect use for them. So, using her tips and a little online research, here's what I did:

Blanched the tomatoes cutting an "x" at the bottom so the skins are easy to peel.
Hand squeezed them over a strainer to preserve liquid and remove seeds.
Placed them about an 1" apart on a cookie sheet and froze overnight.
Then placed them in Ziploc bags, labeled them and put them back in the freezer.

Talk about easy!

I also made one batch of tomato sauce. This recipe is originally from Lidia Bastianich and over the years I have altered it nad now call it my own.

First I made the tomatoes (this I totally made up):
Blanch tomatoes and peel skins.
Squeeze over a strainer to preserve liquid and remove seeds.
Then I took half of the tomatoes and pulverized them in the Cuisinart - this recipe calls for both smooth and chunky tomatoes.

The sauce:
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add in 2 minced garlic cloves (more if you like garlic) and let garlic soften.
Add salt & pepper.
Add in smooth tomatoes.
Then add in chunky tomatoes (I usually hand squeeze them into the pan - they should be chunky, not whole)
Add in about 2 - 4 tablespoons of sugar depending on your tastes and some dried oregano. Stir.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce and let simmer for about 1 hour.
Taste to see if you need anything additional.
Just before using, add in torn or sliced fresh basil.

This sauce can be used for lasagna, parmesan, over pasta or can be pulverized further and used as a base for gazpacho or tomato soup.

Pickled Pink

I said I was going to do it and I did. I made 2 jars of pickles. This is not a process for the faint of heart. Along the lines of making your own dough and growing a garden, it has a lot of steps and takes a long time. It also had the added pressure of botulism, as my father helpfully pointed out. I used a recipe from Whole Living and tips from Martha. I didn't have all the professional tools and made what I had work. So, if you choose to attempt this, remember you don't need to buy all the professional canning tools, although shopping is fun. Right now, the jars are cooling and tomorrow I'll break one open and test it. If all goes well, I might attempt jam.

Canned

I'm taking up canning. I know. I know. But it spoke to me from the pages of a magazine. In fact, when I turned to CityCrab and announced my latest venture, he said he supported me but I could tell he was secretly suppressing his eye roll. The real inspiration came from the vivid images on the page of tomatoes and cucumbers. I've got an abundance of those, more than we can possibly eat. So, after a bit of research and with the help of Martha, I am off to Target to buy my supplies. I figure anything I can buy at Target can't be all that hard to do.

Three Wishes

A couple of weeks ago an article in The New York Times was to my attention regarding a topic that seems to be pervasive these days: aging women, fertility and sperm donors. The article told the story of 3 women. Here's the synopsis: 3 friends approaching 40 find themselves single and yearning for children. One woman decides to go it alone and purchases a few vials of sperm. Before she uses the sperm, she ends up in a relationship and pregnant and passes the sperm to the next friend. The next friend contemplates then finds herself in a relationship and pregnant. So, she passes it to the third friend...are you starting to see a pattern? They all find themselves in relationships & pregnant with no use for the sperm. Interesting, right? Well, lo and behold, they wrote a book about their journey called Three Wishes. I picked it up and am about halfway through. The book expounds on the emotions and details of the story but the NYT article is certainly sufficient to get the gist of it. The biggest takeaway for me is the bond these women share. It got me thinking about the bonds I share with important women in my life. Some related, some not. So, when I told CityCrab the story, he was initially grossed out by it. I had to explain to him that it play out like some bad B movie. The 3 women didn't kick it with each other or the same man. And, they never used the sperm so it's not like they crossed swords or anything. But I really tried to understand what his thoughts were rooted in. The scenes played out like a bad movie. Every time we got in the car, I would bring it up. Then we'd be eating dinner and I'd bring it up or we'd be getting ready for bed, brushing our teeth and I'd bring it up. He just didn't get it. Then it dawned on me. Men don't get female friendships. They don't understand our bond. They don't understand talking to a stranger about something intimate at the nail salon. Or why we go to the bathroom together at restaurants. And they definitely don't get the dressing room at Loehmann's. This made it so much easier to understand. It also made me happy to have my female friendships.

Livin' La Vida Locavore

Here's how it goes lately in my house: I check the garden throughout the day, monitor the growth and then decide what I can make for dinner with what I've got. Apparently, I've become a Locavore, someone who eats locally. I love the challenge of developing a meal around what I've grown. I love being able to just go out and pick dinner. And, most of all, I love being able to bypass the produce section at the grocery store knowing I've got my staples at home already. Here's a few things I've been cooking up:

Grilled yellow squash
Greek salad with cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes from my garden
Tuscan Tomato Salad
Pico de Gallo with cilantro and tomatoes from my garden

Now that it's mid-season and some of my crops haven't grown at all, to my great disappointment, I may yank those and start with something new. Like everything else in life, I am making it up as I go and figuring it out on the fly.

In other gardening news, I recommend a show on PlanetGreen called The Fabulous Beekman Boys. It's about 2 former NYC corporate execs who move to upstate NY and become farmers. Fascinating and hysterical. I also recommend their book The Bucolic Plague. Disclosure: I haven't read it yet but it's on my reading list.

Grilled Corn

This item has gained some popularity in recent years. I first tasted it at Cafe Habana in NYC circa 1999. It was delicious and I instantly became obsessed with it. Like many other things I have eaten, I tried to replicate but without real culinary knowledge, I was lost. Fortunately for me in 2002, The New York Times Magazine posted a recipe for it. Over the years, we have perfected our own version of it. We can't always find the right ingredients and regular sour cream can be substituted for Mexican sour crema, however, no other cheese can replace cotija. I wouldn't even attempt it with parmesan. But, I am grilled corn snob. And, if I can find cotija in South Carolina, then most of you should have no problem. Here is the recipe - it serves 4, but you can easily make this corn a meal, in my opinion.

Shuck 4 ears of corn.
Place on hot grill turning to be sure that all sides of corn get grilled. Remove when some kernels are black and others are bright yellow.
Let cool.

Once cool, lather with sour cream.
Then dust each cob with cotija.
Sprinkle cayenne pepper on one side and serve with limes. The key to the limes is to squeeze before biting into the corn to experience the taste explosion.

Kebabs 101

Last week, I heard two different radio segments about kebabs and I was instantly inspired to whip some leftovers into something fancy. So, I defrosted a piece of meat I had in my freezer and took out the grouper from the previous night. I diced both, seasoned them with salt and pepper and placed them on skewers. Both segments had dispelled the soaking skewers in water theory so I opted not to do it. They said that the water is supposed to soak up the heat before it gets to the wood but every time I had tried it didn't work. Now I feel justified.

Then I took a squash from the garden, an onion and a red pepper, diced them and alternated those on skewers. Always cook meats together and vegetables together - this is because everything cooks at different times. I drizzled olive oil on those. I heated up the grill and stuck the vegetables on. This is an important lesson I learned - vegetables take much longer than meats. Once the vegetables looked like they were getting crispy, I stuck on the meat. Then the grouper when everything else looked about done. The grouper literally took about 3 minutes. Very easy and tasty.

So, I was thinking that with this it might be nice to have an aromatic rice. What is an aromatic rice? It's a rice lightly flavored with an herb. I had some leftover cilantro that I thought would taste good, at least in my mind. I found a few recipes on online and after having read through them I decided I could concoct my own recipe. So, here it is:

Chop abt 1/2 cup cilantro.
Juice 1 lime then zest and set aside
Mince 1 clove garlic.
In a sauce pan, saute garlic and rice in olive oil about 5 minutes. Use any rice - I used white. Rice is roughly 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water.
Once the garlic is soft, add water/broth and lime juice. Let water boil, then reduce to simmer about 20 minutes. Essentially, make rice as you normally would.
When rice is done, mix in cilantro and lime zest and serve. You may need to salt & pepper to taste.


Dinner was delicious and CityBaby enjoyed it, too.